What are “Edibles”?
An “edible” is any food, such as brownies, candies, and cookies that contains CBD and/or marijuana. In this article we will only cover CBD edibles which are completely legal in all 50 states, provided the CBD is sourced from industrial hemp. Though edibles have only recently become popular once more, both CBD and marijuana have been consumed orally for thousands of years.
RELATED: CBD Edibles Vs. Marijuana Edibles: All You Need to Know
How CBD Edibles Can Help
CBD provides numerous health benefits, without the psychological effects commonly associated with THC and marijuana consumption.
Initial studies have found that CBD offers a multitude of medicinal benefits, including:
- Antiemetic (reduces nausea and vomiting)
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antioxidant
- Antipsychotic
- Anticonvulsant (suppresses seizure activity)
- Anti-tumoral/anti-cancer
- Antidepressant
- Anxiolytic (combats anxiety)
- Analgesic (relieves pain)
For many people, consuming CBD edibles is preferable over a traditional method such as a sublingual oil or tincture. In addition, some patients cannot or simply do not want to consume their CBD via tincture, vaping or topically. There are also people who do not like the taste of CBD and can only consume it when the flavor is diminished, such as in an edible form.
Making CBD Edibles at Home
Depending on the CBD product you choose, you can make edibles in several ways. For example, CBD tinctures typically are already blended with a carrier oil such as MCT oil derived from coconut. This allows the process of making CBD-infused edibles incredibly easy.
In most cases, your edible creation process will begin by infusing the CBD into another source of fat or oil. Butter is typically the fat of choice, as it’s easy to work with and can be used in a variety of recipes. You can also infuse CBD into oils such as olive and coconut as well. This is a good option for making vegan or animal-product-free edibles.
Generally speaking, to infuse your CBD into a fat or oil you will simply begin with both ingredients. It’s important to measure your CBD in regards to the ratio of it to the base fat or oil you use. This will help determine the exact dosage of each edible once you use the CBD-infused fat or oil in a recipe.
To begin the infusion process, gather your ingredients and begin to gently heat the fat or oil of choice. Slowly stir in the CBD until both products are well combined. Be mindful of the temperature you are cooking at, as CBD can evaporate if the temperature goes above 320-356°F (160-180°C).
You can then use these products in whatever recipe you choose.
Homemade vs Commercial Edibles
Making edibles at home is a good alternative to buying most commercial products. In many cases, store-bought edibles contain numerous other ingredients including extra sugar, preservatives, MSG and other potentially harmful additives. Plus, commercial products do not always list the included ingredients, making the true contents unknown.
In addition, by making edibles at home you can control the exact dosage of CBD as well as each ingredient included in the recipe. For people with food allergies, intolerances, and special diet requirements homemade edibles make things much easier to manage. Overall, when comparing homemade to commercial edible products, homemade edibles are a more healthful choice.
Sourcing a Quality CBD Product
When sourcing a quality CBD product there are a few things to keep in mind.
In order for the CBD to be most effective, it should be a whole-plant extract, sourced from organically grown hemp, and extracted by carbon dioxide. Because CBD is synergistic in nature and works well when used in conjunction with the other cannabinoids and terpenes found in hemp plants, whole plant-extracts are preferable over isolates.
In addition, it’s very important that the hemp the CBD is sourced from is organically grown. This is because hemp is an incredibly efficient bioaccumulator, meaning it will absorb nutrients and chemicals in the surrounding soil, whether good or bad. So, if chemicals are used in the growing process, they will likely be present in the final product as well.
RELATED: Are You Using Organic CBD Oil?
As for the extraction method, carbon dioxide is the safest and least “intrusive” way. CBD products extracted by unstable methods such as heat and solvents will cause the final product quality to be compromised. When heat is used to extract CBD, many of the nutrients will either be killed or diminished greatly. Solvents, like harmful chemicals, will also end up in the final product when that extraction method is used.
→ For more information on how to source a quality CBD product, click here.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22625422
https://www.buyhempcbdoil.com/cbd-infused-edibles-how-to-make-your-own/
https://weedseedshop.com/en/blog/9-savoury-cbd-infused-edibles-you-can-make-at-home/
https://healthyhempoil.com/making-cbd-edibles/
https://www.marijuana.com/news/2015/07/making-cbd-infused-edibles-extracting-the-facts/
